The fast magnetic train tracks forms a system of bearing, guidance and drive, all of which is in a non-touching mode. Employed is a longitudinal stator-linear motor, which is based on the principle of electromagnetically levitated. The long-stator linear motor corresponds, in this application, to an electric motor, with a winding in the direction of travel. Instead of a magnetically rotating field, the linear motor generates an electromagnetic field, which proceeds along the length of the entire travelway. With the aid of an electronic control system, the magnetically levitated vehicle hovers some 10 mm above the upper surface of the travelway. By a reversal of the magnetic field, the vehicle can be braked without contact or accelerated. In this operation, a principle component of the drive, specifically the stator packet, is built into the travelway. For the receiving of the said stator packet, the functional plane beam is entrusted to take over the main operations of carrying, guiding and lifting of the vehicle. Additionally, the functional plane beam conducts all operational loads, for example, through connection consoles on the main beam, which, in turn, conduct the loads into the ground by means of underpinnings and the foundations.
FIG. 5 shows a conventional functional plane beam 110. The functional plane beam possesses, to fulfill its expectations, a slide-surface 112 which faces upward, upon which the magnetically levitated vehicle can slide, if the drive, that is the current supply, drops out completely. In this case, the magnetically levitated vehicle supports itself on special sliding elements to match the said slide surface and glides along until it comes to a standstill. Lateral guide flanges 114, having active surfaces running in the travel direction and aligned perpendicularly to the said slide surface serve for the side-to-side guidance of the magnetically levitated vehicle. This guidance takes place by directive magnets in guide shoes of the magnetically levitated vehicle, which shoes are carried adjacent to the said lateral guide flanges.
In the lower area of the functional plane beam are placed the stator packets 116, which lift and drive the vehicle. These packets are so arranged, that they lift the vehicle by means of a base group of magnets set within the guide shoes, wherein they pull the magnets. Since, in this area, only the smallest possible clearances can be allowed, the stator packets and consequently the functional plane beams themselves are especially aligned and secured.
Finally, the functional plane beam itself is adjusted and fastened on a mounting surface facing the main beam. Although, steel has proven itself, because of tolerance reasons, in the case of the functional plane beam, it is possible that the therefrom separated main beam can be made just as well out of concrete (hybrid beam construction) as out of steel.
For a means of suspension to retain the stator packet, the suspension system shown in DE 19 735 471 has had a successful history. This suspension system provides the stator packet to be encapsulated in plastic and to be furnished with horizontal, T-shaped grooves running transversely to the direction of travel. Further, the functional plane beam possesses a so-called stator carrying member, which, on its under side has two, parallel, trapezoidal bars (traverses) running in the direction of travel, which, likewise, possess the said horizontal T-grooves running transversely to the direction of travel. The said grooves are set at the same distances apart as are those of the stator packets.
Although the said grooves were placed in the stator packets during its manufacture, because the individual metal sheets, from which the stator packets are formed, are subjected to stampings for the grooves, the other grooves in the stator carrying member are machine-milled in accord with the desired positioning of the stator packets. The coupling between the stator packet and the stator carrying member is done by groove matching, since the grooves of the carrying members possess the same profiling as that of the packet T-grooving. In this way the grooves complementarily join and both the components, namely the stator and the stator carrier bind together in a defined position. In this way, the groove fitting is additionally secured by screw connection to the functional plane beam.
Another stator carrier suspension has been made known by DE 19 931 367, in which the groove traverse, which is bound to the stator packet, is placed between two parallel web flanges, which are located on the underside of the stator carrier member and are screwed thereto. An additional security is achieved here by means of set-pins, which are placed parallel to the said screw connections.
The purpose of the securities of the two above described stator suspensions lies therein, in that upon a failure of the fastening means, a defined and detectable vertical displacement of the stator packet can be allowed, so that the utilization of the travelway continues to be possible and the suspension damage can be localized. This can be, for example, be executed in correspondence with properly distributed sensors along the travelway.
The principal disadvantage of this much employed solution can be found in the fact that, the fastening of the stator packet by groove traverse members or by other intervening pieces onto a stator carrier member is relatively complicated to mechanically carry out and to maintain. Disadvantageous in this matter also, is that the useable stator height is considerably reduced by any such intervening elements.
This becomes especially of importance, in occasions wherein for the purpose of acceleration a high current demand must be called up to load the stator windings. The strength of the current, however, is limited by the available cross-section of the electrical conductor wires and the therewith accompanying increase in temperature. Too high a current would lead to an overheating of the system. Larger conductor cross-sections, however, are not possible, because of the limited height of the stator packets. Stator packets of a larger overall height can only be installed under such circumstances wherein the profile of the functional plane beam would be correspondingly increased. Such a change would be encumbered with substantial design alterations—even including the guide shoe of the vehicle itself. Further, the employment of materials, which are resistant to higher temperatures, is subjected to limitation on both technical and economic grounds.